The present invention relates to bicycle carriers adapted to be mounted on the backs of vehicles.
Bicycle carriers of that type are conventional, e.g., see U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,710,999; 3,927,811; 4,332,337; 4,428,516; 4,513,897; and 4,830,250. It is common for a carrier to have first and second U-shaped mounting members which are seatable against upper and lower portions of the rear end of a vehicle, respectively. The carrier is attached to the vehicle by means of straps which are connected to the carrier and which carry hooks adapted to grasp portions of the vehicle. The mounting members are pivotable relative to one another. Consequently, the angle formed between the mounting members can be adjusted to enable the carrier to fit different vehicle configurations. A pair of supporting arms project rearwardly for receiving a bicycle. The supporting arms include bent ends or adjustable brackets which form cradles on which a bar of the bicycle frame is laid.
Prior art carriers have exhibited certain shortcomings. For example, although the angle formed by the mounting members can be adjusted to enable the carrier to be mounted on vehicles of different configurations, it may be necessary for the user to experiment with various angles in order to determine which angle is appropriate. Such time-consuming procedure may be required every time that the carrier is re-attached to the same vehicle or switched between different vehicles.
Furthermore, in the event that a user attempts to mount more than one bicycle on the carrier, the bicycles may tend to swing toward and away from one another as the vehicle is in motion, thereby repeatedly clashing with one another.
Also, the frame of the bicycle may tend to become scratched by metal-to-metal contact with the cradles.
It would be desirable to provide a bicycle carrier which can be mounted on the rear of a vehicle and which alleviates the above-explained shortcomings as well as others.